Automakers Push Through Pandemic To Launch Huge Wave Of EVs
by Peter Lyon
Fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause a 43 percent drop in electric vehicle sales in 2020, according to research from Wood MacKenzie. But automakers around the world, who have been working hard over the past decade to create viable EVs with acceptable range, pricing and supportive charging infrastructure, are hoping that a new wave of EV product, set to roll out in the next 12 months, will strike a cord in the motoring public.
Electric vehicles expected to launch in 2020, and by ‘launch’ we mean start deliveries, include models such as the Tesla Model Y, Rivian RST truck, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback, Audi E-tron Sportback, Porsche Taycan, BMW iX3 SUV, Honda e compact, Mazda MX-30 SUV, Volvo’s Polestar 2 and XC40 Recharge, the Chinese-built Byton M-Byte SUV, the Fisher eMotion, and of course, the next-generation Toyota Mirai, which runs on electric motors that are powered by onboard fuel cells.
In researching this story, I asked manufacturers how the pandemic was affecting their planned roll-outs of strategic EVs. But while most insisted they planned to launch their EVs as scheduled, even with some hiccups in parts supply chains due to the pandemic, they were not sure exactly when they would reveal their new cars or indeed how they would unveil models, given that all international auto shows have been canceled or postponed for 2020. The only option, as many manufacturers pointed out, was to launch online, which many are planning to do.
Of most interest to American audiences is the launch of the highly-anticipated Tesla Model Y, which started deliveries in March but suffered some production hiccups in response to the coronavirus lockdown. The brand’s CEO Elon Musk was in the news recently after having ordered workers to return to production plants against the lockdown order.
The Y is based on the Model 3’s platform and is the more reasonably priced SUV (in contrast to the expensive Model X SUV) that comes with standard side doors, not those superbly-designed but controversial falcon-wing doors. The Model Y Long Range version, which starts at $52,990, offers 316 miles of range and can jump from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds.
Built by American start-up Rivian, the fully electric, all-wheel-drive R1T truck promises over 400 miles of range and supercar-like sub-3 second acceleration times for the sprint to 60mph from its 754hp motors. The Rivian EV is expected to go on sale in late 2020 starting at $70,500 for the entry-level 105.0kWh model.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is controversial for two reasons. It is the first EV to wear a Mustang badge and it boasts crossover styling, points of contention that is causing intense debate in Mustang circles. Due to go on sale in late 2020, the Mach-E will be priced from $44,995 for the rear-drive Select model, and range up to $61,600 for the all-wheel-drive GT, which generates 459hp, a 0-60mph time of under 4 seconds and range of up to 300 miles.
Porsche’s first-ever EV, the highly-anticipated Taycan, has started deliveries in the U.S. and will progressively be rolled out across Europe and other markets throughout 2020 and into 2021. Split into three grades, buyers can choose from the $105,000 4S, the $150,000 Turbo and the range-topping $186,000 Turbo S variant. However, given that the Taycan has been universally praised in motoring circles for its sports car handling and prodigious power delivery, the EPA gave the Turbo version a 201-mile range, significantly undercutting that of rival Tesla. For the record, in an independent study by “insideevs.com,” editors recorded real-world range of 248-miles for the Taycan Turbo.
If you liked the original Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car, then you will love the new one. Longer, lower, more stylish and bigger all round, the new Mirai is a rear-wheel-drive sedan (the original one was front-wheel-drive) that’s about the same size as a BMW 5-series, which, according to a company source, is the segment Toyota is targeting. Fuel-cell cars are basically EVs that produce electricity onboard from a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen inside a fuel cell stack. Aiming for a 400-mile range, a welcome boost to the current car’s 312-miles, the new Mirai reportedly shares its next-generation fuel-cell stack with the BMW i Hydrogen Next fuel cell vehicles. Although, Toyota has mentioned a late 2020 launch date, the brand is remaining tight-lipped as to when and how it will launch the new car.
Employing dimensions similar to those of the Honda Fit, the cute teddy-bear cuddly Honda e will offer 136 miles and 134hp with a range topping 152hp Advance variant. The e will launch in Europe in late summer but U.S. sales have not been announced.
Mazda’s first-ever EV, the stylish MX-30 SUV, was originally rumored to go on sale by the end of 2020, but the company is now pushing a spring 2021 launch date. In fact, we’ve just had word from a company source that production of the MX-30 began last week. The firm says its crossover will come with a 35.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and while details are still sketchy, we expect the EV to offer up to 150-miles from its front-wheel-drive, one electric motor setup. Prices are expected to start from around $35,000 for the entry-level Sport model.
Audi’s 420hp twin-motor powered 278-mile E-tron is expected by the end of spring while the Volvo XC40 Recharge, which shares EV technology with the company’s dedicated electric brand, will get 402hp and a range of 248-miles, and launch by the end of 2020.
So according to manufacturers, it would appear at this stage that most new EV models will launch around the scheduled period of their original introduction. They just won’t make big splashes at auto shows, but in stead launch online.
That’s just the start of the oncoming EV wave. In 2021, look out for the Tesla Cybertruck, the GMC Hummer EV SUT and more.